Drexel Basketball Players Face Robbery And Weapons Charges

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Two Drexel University basketball players face robbery and weapons charges after an armed robbery at a fellow student’s apartment in which they went looking for cash but came away only with two cell phones, police said.

Jamie Harris, 21, the team’s starting point guard and leading scorer, and Kevin Phillip, 21, a backup forward, turned themselves in Monday, Philadelphia police Lt. John Walker said. A third man, Devon Bond, 21, also a Drexel student, was arrested last week.

Bond knocked on the door around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday and asked to speak with the male roommate of the woman who answered, Walker said. Once inside, he and the woman discussed school for about 15 minutes.

When he left the building, Bond propped the outside door open and returned a few minutes later with Harris and Phillip, who were armed with handguns, police said. One of the players then forced Bond to the ground as part of a ruse to make it look as if he was being robbed, Walker said.

Harris and Phillip pointed their guns around the woman’s apartment and kept asking where the money was, but they didn’t find any, Walker said. The three men allegedly fled only with two cell phones.

“We think the roommate of the victim was being targeted,” Walker said. “We believe Bond knew that there was money in that apartment.”

After the female student reported the robbery, Bond told police he had been the victim of a crime, Walker said. Police quickly found out that wasn’t true, Walker said, and determined he had plotted the robbery with Harris and Phillip.

Bond was charged Friday, and warrants were issued for Harris and Phillip on Saturday. All three face robbery, theft and weapons charges, Walker said.

An attorney for Phillip declined to comment, and a message left for Harris’ attorney was not immediately returned. It wasn’t clear whether Bond had an attorney, and a telephone listing for him could not be found.

Harris, a 5-10 point guard out of New York City, started all 32 games for the Dragons last season and averaged 14.5 points a game. Phillip, a 6-6 forward from Brooklyn, averaged 2.9 points and 3.1 rebounds coming off the bench in 31 games.

A Drexel spokeswoman said the school would release a statement Monday afternoon.